Slide fastener tab protector

ABSTRACT

Protector for the tabs of slide fasteners during cleaning of garments having slide fastener closures. The protector is in the form of a sheet of relatively thick resilient plastic material having parallel slits open to one end of the sheet and extending for a part of the length of the sheet and forming parallel outer legs and an inner tab protector. The slits are pulled along the stringers and teeth of the fastener by grasping the inner tab protector, until the ends of the slits are in engagement with the teeth of the fastener, with the legs on the inner side of the garment and fastener and the inner tab protector extending over and protecting the tab of the fastener.

United States Patent Ill! 3,593,385

[72] Inventor Harry S. Shubart 1,988.761 1/1935 Townerv H 24/205. 15 319 Ke li E l Ill. 60202 2,840,877 7/1958 Foltis 24/20515 R [2| AP N0 4694 Primary Examiner-Bernard A. Gelak [22] Mad Jan.2l,l970 A Sh M) G [45] Patented July 20' orneyl ennan, crom, ross an impson [54] SLIDE FASTENER TAB PROTECTOR ABS'ITRACTzI Protector for the tabs of slide fasteners during [0 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs' cleaning of garments having slide fastener elosuresi The pr0- tector is In the form of a sheet of relatively thick resilient plastic material having parallel slits open to one end of the 24/259 sheet and extending for a part of the length of the sheet and [IILC' forming parallel outer legs and an inner tab protecton The Field of Search slits are pulled along the stringers and teeth of the fastener by 205-15 253, grasping the inner tab protector, until the ends of the slits are in engagement with the teeth of the fastener, with the legs on [56] References the inner side of the garment and fastener and the inner tab UNITED STATES PATENTS protector extending over and protecting the tab of the 384,034 6/1888 Hack 24/259 PC fastener.

SLIDE FASTENER TAB PROTECTOR BACKGROUND AND OBJECTS OF INVENTION In the drycleaning or washing of garments having slide fasteners forming closures for parts of the garment, the slider tabs pulling the sliders along the stringers of the fastener have a tendency to break off, particularly where the tabs may be plastic, and to catch on other clothes in the cleaner or in the holes of the cleaning drum. This usually makes it necessary to replace the sliders and tabs, and in addition may damage the clothes in the cleaning drum and requires that the loose slider be removed from the cleaning drum. A skilled cleaner will pin the slider tab to the garment by a safety pin. This, however, requires time and patience and is not ordinarily done by the usual help in cleaning establishments.

By the present invention I provide a resilient protector for the slider tab of a slide fastener, which is pushed down along opposite stringers of the slide fastener and has a portion extending over the slider tab, and retained to the slider tab by interlocking of the slider tab protector with the stringers of the slide fastener.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a simplified form of slider tab protector, for protecting the tabs of slide fasteners during washing or cleaning of garments closed by slide fasteners, arranged with a view toward utmost simplicity in construction, to positively retain the slider tab protector to the garment and slider tab during the entire operation of cleaning the garment.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a simplified form of device protecting the slider tabs of slide fasteners during cleaning or washing of a garment, closed by a slide fastener, in which the slider tab protector is slipped along thestringers of the fastener with one side-of the tab protector extending along the insides of the stringers of the fastener, and another portion of the protector extending over and pressing the slider tab of the slide fastener to the slider of the fastener.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a protector for slide fasteners made from a resilient material having a series of parallel slits with a slider tab protector tab between the slits and having apertures in communication with the inner ends of the slits, receiving the teeth of the slide fastener as the slits are moved inwardly along the stringers of the fastener, and the protector tab is moved over the slider tab of the fastener.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a protector for the tabs of slide fasteners in the form of a resilient plastic material, in which parts of the protector are moved relative to each other when placing the protector on a garment, and the protector is held in-protective engagement with the. tab of the fastener, by the stored up energy of the material from which the protector is made.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be readily apparent from the following description of certain preferred embodiments thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, although variations'and modificationsmay beeffected without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel concepts ofthe disclosure.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view of a slide fastener protector constructed=in accordance with the principles of the present invention showing the protector'on agarment in protective engagementwith the slide tab of the slidefastener.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along line Il-II of Figure 1.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a slider tab protector for a slide fastener adapted for protecting the slider tabs of larger slide fasteners than the form of the invention shown in FIG; 1; and

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of theprotector shown in FIG. 3 looking substantially along line IV-IV of FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED FORM OF THE INVENTION In the forms of the invention illustrated in the drawings, I have shown a fragment of a garment 10 including two pieces of cloth 11,11 having slide fastener stringer tapes 12,12 sewn to the adjacent sides of the cloth 11,11 and having the conventional interengaging teeth 13,13 spaced therealong. The teeth are moved into locking engagement with each other by a con-j ventional slider 15 drawn along the teeth 13,13, to bring the teeth into interengagement with each other as the slider 15 is drawn along the stringers by a slider tab 16, and separating the teeth as the slider tab draws the slider 15 in an opposite direction along the stringer tapes 12,12. The protector is adapted to protect the tabs of any form of slide fastener whether a plastic or metallic fastener, and with or without interengaging teeth. The fastener is no part of the present invention so need not herein be shown or described further.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a slider tab protector 17 is shown, which may be of a generally rectangular form having a body portion 19 parallel spaced legs 21,21 extending from said body portion and a slider tab protector tab 22 between said legs and adapted to extend over the slider tab 16 of the fastener.

The slider tab protector tab 22 is formed by cutting a pair of parallel spaced slits 23,23 along the protector from the bottom thereof and extending for a portion of the length thereof and by cutting off the lower end of the tab protector to shorten said protector tab and thereby reduce the distance of projection of the protector tab from the garment and reduce the liability of the protector tab to catch on other clothes in the cleaner or washer drum.

At the terminal or inner ends of the slits 23,23 are apertures 25,25 inthe form of holes having interior cylindrical walls shown as extending equal distances from the center of each slit, and'having communication therewith.

The protector 17 may be made from a suitable resilient plastic material, which may be relatively thick to provide the body, resiliency and stored up energy of the material as stressed, to hold the protector to the slide fastener and garment. A suitable plastic material is polypropylene although the protector may be made from various other plastic materials, treated paper board, or from thin spring metal or even from substitutes for rubber which will not be affected by the cleaning fluid.

In applying the protector to a garment, as the slide fastener is partially opened, the protector is applied along the open portion of the slide fastener with the slits 23,23 moved inwardly along the stringers and fastener teeth and the legs 21,21 on the inner side of the garment with the tab 22 extending along the outer side of the slider and slider tab, and retaining the slider tab to the garment, as shown in FIG. 2. The protector tab 22 is graspedby the fingers to draw the protector along'the stringersuntil the teeth on the stringers are engaged with the apertures 25,25 to firmly lock the protector tab in its protective positionuntil removed by hand, by a pull on the body 19 of the protector.

The protector of FIGS. 3 and 4 is constructed and operates on the same principles as that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 so the same partnumbers will be used to designate the same parts of protector. The protector 17 shown in FIG. 3 is adapted'for large-size slide fasteners and in place of the slits 23,23 has parallel slots 27,27 of sufficient width to extend along the interengaging fastener teeth and stringers, to enable the protector to be pulled along the teeth and stringers by the grasping of a protector tab 22 by the fingers and moving the protector to engage the teeth of the slide fastener within apertures 30,30of

the protector and of sufficient diameter to receive the teeth of the fastener and hold the fastener in place on the garment by the stored up energy of the material from which the protector is made.

It may be seen from the foregoing that a simplified form of protector for the slider tabs of slide fasteners has been provided, which may readily be attached to a garment by pulling the protector along the stringers and slide fastener teeth by grasping the slider tab protector tab and pulling thereon until the protector tab extends over the slider tab of the fastener, and presses the slider tab flat against the slider, and retains the tab in this position during the entire cleaning or washing operation by the stored up energy of the material from which the protector is made, and thereby prevents the slider tab from catching on the other clothes in the cleaner drum or from being torn from its slider during a drycleaning or washing operation.

I claim as my invention;

1. A protector particularly adapted to protect the tabs of slide fasteners during cleaning or washing of garments having slide fastener closures, comprising,

a sheet of resilient material having a pair of parallel slits opening to an end thereof and extending for a part of the length thereof forming a pair of parallel legs and a center slider tab protector tab between said legs,

the slit portions of the protector extending along the stringers of the slide fastener, and the center protector tab forming a grasping member, for pulling the protector along the stringers, of the fastener to the ends of the slit portions thereof with the center protector tab in protective engagement with the slide tab ofthe fastener.

2. The slide fastener protector ofclaim 1,

wherein the slits terminate at their inner ends into apertures of sufficient size to engage the teeth carried by the stringer strips of the fastener.

3. The slide fastener protector of claim 1,

wherein the slits are in the form of widened slots and terminate into apertures having cylindrical interior walls of larger diameter than the width of the slots.

4. The slide fastener protector of claim I,

wherein the sheet is made from a plastic material.

5. The slide fastener protector of claim 2,

wherein the sheet is made from polypropylene.

6. The slide fastener protector of claim 3,

wherein the sheet is made from polypropylene.

7. The slide fastener protector of claim 3,

wherein the sheet is made from a relatively thick plastic material.

8. The slide fastener protector ofclaim 7,

wherein the plastic material is polypropylene.

9. The slide fastener protector of claim 2,

wherein the sheet is made from a thin resilient metal.

10. The slide fastener protector ofclaim 3,

wherein the sheet is made from a thin resilient metal. 

1. A protector particularly adapted to protect the tabs of slide fasteners during cleaning or washing of garments having slide fastener closures, comprising, a sheet of resilient material having a pair of parallel slits opening to an end thereof and extending for a part of the length thereof forming a pair of parallel legs and a center slider tab protector tab between said legs, the slit portions of the protector extending along the stringers of the slide fastener, and the center protector tab forming a grasping member, for pulling the protector along the stringers, of the fastener to the ends of the slit portions thereof with the center protector tab in protective engagement with the slide tab of the fastener.
 2. The slide fastener protector of claim 1, wherein the slits terminate at their inner ends into apertures of sufficient size to engage the teeth carried by the stringer strips of the fastener.
 3. The slide fastener protector of claim 1, wherein the slits are in the form of widened slots and terminate into apertures having cylindrical interior walls of larger diameter than the width of the slots.
 4. The slide fastener protector of claim 1, wherein the sheet is made from a plastic material.
 5. The slide fastener protector of claim 2, wherein the sheet is made from polypropylene.
 6. The slide fastener protector of claim 3, wherein the sheet is made from polypropylene.
 7. The slide fastener protector of claim 3, wherein the sheet is made from a relatively thick plastic material.
 8. The slide fastener protector of claim 7, wherein the plastic material is polypropylene.
 9. The slide fastener protector of claim 2, wherein the sheet is made from a thin resilient metal.
 10. The slide fastener protector of claim 3, wherein the sheet is made from a thin resilient metal. 